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ROME, Oct 9 (Reuters) – Italy will refund its domestic banks for part of the IRAP regional corporate tax they have paid, following a European Union ruling, two government officials with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday. An EU ruling in August required Italy to partially reimburse banks for IRAP tax paid on dividends collected from foreign units. The government sources said they expected the total cost of the ruling would be worth up to 1.5 billion euros ($1.74 billion). They asked not to be named. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti told lawmakers late on Wednesday that the state would use extra borrowing in next year's budget to meet its obligations in court rulings where it is required to make payouts, but he did not refer directly to the ruling on IRAP refunds. Rome has leeway built into the 2026 budget which allows for some extra borrowing while still meeting the fiscal deficit target of 2.8% of output. The deficit is currently on course for 2.7% of GDP in 2026, slightly below the 2.8% goal, giving the government potential room to borrow about 2.3 billion extra euros ($2.67 billion), budget data shows. Giorgetti said on Wednesday that Italian banks, however, will be called upon to help the government fund tax cuts and spending hikes to be included in the 2026 budget. He said banks had made huge profits thanks to the European Central Bank's interest rate hikes and public guarantees on loans granted during the COVID-pandemic by past administrations. "It bothers me that banks only grant credit if they are backed by public guarantees," he said. Giorgetti's League party said banks should contribute some 5 billion euros to the budget. The sources, however, said the total amount could in the end be reduced to 2 or 3 billion euros. ($1 = 0.8613 euros) (Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte; Editing by Susan Fenton)

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BEIJING, Oct 9 (Reuters) – China's commerce ministry on Thursday added 14 foreign organisations to its "unreliable entity list", it said in a statement, restricting their ability to carry out commercial activities within the world's second-largest economy. Some of the companies, which are mostly based in the United States, had supplied anti-drone technologies to Taiwan, it said in a separate statement. The Halifax International Security Forum, an annual gathering of government and military officials in Canada, was also included in the list of sanctioned entities. (Reporting by Joe Cash; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

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(Adds Smotrich in paragraph 19) * LATEST DEVELOPMENTS * Smotrich says Hamas must be destroyed after hostages return By Maayan Lubell and Nidal al-Mughrabi JERUSALEM/CAIRO, Oct 9 (Reuters) – Israelis and Palestinians rejoiced on Thursday after a ceasefire and hostage deal were announced under the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's initiative to end the war in Gaza. The enemies were expected to sign the agreement at noon in the region (0900 GMT) in the Egyptian beach resort of Sharm el-Sheikh where they negotiated the biggest step yet taken to end two years of devastating warfare. A source briefed on details of the agreement said Israeli hostages may be released as soon as Saturday and troops will begin withdrawing from Gaza within 24 hours. Israel's security cabinet and government are due to hold meetings on the agreement at 5 p.m. Israel time (1400 GMT). Palestinians and the families of Israeli hostages broke into wild celebrations after news emerged of the pact. In Gaza, where most of the more than 2 million people have been displaced by Israeli bombing, young men applauded in the devastated streets, even as Israeli strikes continued. 'ALL OF THE GAZA STRIP IS HAPPY' "Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of bloodshed and killing," said Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. "I am not the only one happy, all of the Gaza Strip is happy, all the Arab people, all of the world is happy with the ceasefire and the end of bloodshed." Einav Zaugauker, whose son Matan is one of the last hostages, rejoiced in Tel Aviv's so-called Hostages Square, where families of those seized in the Hamas attack that sparked the war two years ago have gathered to demand their return. "I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't explain what I'm feeling … it's crazy," she said, speaking in the red glow of a celebratory flare. "What do I say to him? What do I do? Hug and kiss him," she said. "Just tell him that I love him, that's it. And to see his eyes sink into mine … It's overwhelming — this is the relief." Still, Gaza residents said Israeli strikes on three Gaza City suburbs continued overnight and in the morning hours of Thursday, residents said. Lines of smoke rose over Shejaia, Tuffah and Zeitoun in the early hours of Thursday, though there were no immediate reports of casualties. The Israeli military warned north Gaza residents against returning to their areas saying the territory remains a "dangerous combat zone." 20-POINT FRAMEWORK Just a day after the second anniversary of Hamas militants' cross-border attack that triggered Israel's devastating assault on Gaza, indirect talks in Egypt yielded an agreement on the initial stage of Trump’s 20-point framework. But the agreement announced by Trump late on Wednesday was short on detail and left many unresolved questions that could yet lead to its collapse. Still yet to be hammered out are plans to govern Gaza after the war, and the ultimate fate of Hamas, which has rejected Israel's demands that it give up its weapons. "I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan," Trump said on Truth Social. "This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace," Trump added. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deal "a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel." But far-right members of his coalition have long opposed any deal with Hamas. One, of them, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, said that Hamas must be destroyed once the hostages are returned. He said he would not vote in favour of a ceasefire deal, although he stopped short of threatening to bring down Netanyahu's coalition government. HAMAS SAYS DEAL INCLUDES PRISONER-HOSTAGE SWAP More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's assault on Gaza, launched after Hamas-led militants stormed through Israeli towns on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages. In parallel, Israel's military has waged campaigns that have tipped the balance of power in the Middle East in its favour, killing the leaders of Hezbollah in a campaign in Lebanon and top Iranian commanders in a 12-day war against Iran. But global outrage has mounted against Israel's assault, leaving it internationally isolated. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a U.N. inquiry say it amounts to genocide. Israel calls its actions self-defence after the 2023 Hamas attack. Netanyahu and Trump spoke by phone and congratulated each other on an "historic achievement," and the Israeli prime minister invited the U.S. president to address Israel’s parliament, according to Netanyahu's office. The next phase of Trump's plan calls for an international body led by Trump and including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to play a role in Gaza's post-war administration. Arab countries which back the plan say it must lead to eventual independence for a Palestinian state, which Netanyahu says will never happen. (Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi, Dawoud Abu Elkas, Tuvan Gumrukcu and Daren Butler in Ankara, Jana Choukeir and Tala Ramadan in Dubai, Maayan Lubell and Alexander Cornwell in Jerusalem, John Irish in Paris, Angelo Amante in Rome, Trevor Hunnicutt, Steve Holland and David Morgan in Washington; Writing by Lincoln Feast and Michael Georgy; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Peter Graff)

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U.S. ENVOY WITKOFF, WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR KUSHNER TO TRAVEL TO ISRAEL THURSDAY NIGHT – ISRAELI MEDIA REPORTS

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Oct 9 (Reuters) – Public Power Corporation SA: * CONSTRUCTION OF 2.13 GW PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER PLANTS IN WESTERN MACEDONIA REACHES 90% COMPLETION Further company coverage: (Gdansk Newsroom)

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MELBOURNE, Oct 9 (Reuters) – Australia will launch a national taskforce next week to tackle match-fixing at the upcoming Women's Asian Cup and boost cooperation between police, betting companies and sports bodies in the wake of a slew of corruption cases in elite soccer. The taskforce's first meeting will be held in Melbourne on Wednesday and also include officials from the country's border security force and financial crime watchdog AUSTRAC. Government watchdog Sport Integrity Australia (SIA), which will lead the group, said it had received no specific intelligence suggesting threats to the 12-nation Asian Cup, which Australia will host from March 1-21. However, the taskforce would focus on prevention, deterrence and education, the SIA told Reuters on Thursday. "Athletes arrive from a wide range of countries, each with different levels of understanding and attitudes towards match-fixing," said James Moller, SIA head of international relationships and strategy. "Part of our role is to make it very clear that match-fixing is a criminal offence in Australia, taken very seriously, and investigated accordingly by law enforcement." Australian soccer has seen two spot-fixing cases in the courts in recent months involving players at teams in the top-flight A-League. Former Macarthur Bulls captain Ulises Davila pleaded guilty at a Sydney court on Thursday to corruption charges involving manipulation of yellow cards in A-League matches. Two of his former teammates were fined by a court last month while avoiding convictions in the same case. Former Western United midfielder Riku Danzaki was convicted of fraud in August in a separate case of yellow card manipulation in the A-League. The national soccer players' union called on Australian authorities to ban gambling on yellow cards to stop manipulation in matches. Moller said gambling regulation was important but not in the SIA's remit. "What I can say is that, while domestic regulation is important, many of the more concerning betting markets exist offshore, where we have limited ability to intervene," he added. "These markets can include types of bets that are more vulnerable to manipulation, and they present an ongoing risk regardless of how we regulate locally." (Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Kate Mayberry)

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* Philippine peso dips after surprise rate cut * AI rally lifts emerging Asian stock markets * Thai equities rise on dovish central bank stance (Updates for afternoon trade) By Rishav Chatterjee Oct 9 (Reuters) – The Philippine peso weakened a shade while equities slid further after the central bank unexpectedly cut interest rates on Thursday, though stock markets elsewhere in emerging Asia rallied on renewed AI-related buying. The peso slid to 58.165 per dollar while the equity benchmark gauge, trading largely in the red through the day, slipped a few additional points after the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) delivered a surprise quarter-point rate cut. This was the fourth consecutive easing by the central bank, which warned that the Philippine growth outlook had weakened, though inflation expectations remained well-contained. "Today’s unexpected move comes in the wake of September’s softer-than-expected CPI reading, which seems to have tipped the balance towards more easing," said Miguel Chanco, chief emerging Asia economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. "Our core view now is that the Board will cut again at the next meeting, to a terminal level of 4.50%, given its decidedly more dovish October statement." Broadly, the MSCI index of emerging Asian equities , which had slipped more than 1% in the previous session, rose 0.2%, while the broader MSCI Asia-Pacific ex-Japan index nudged 0.3% higher. Overnight, Wall Street hit fresh highs as a renewed AI tech rally offset concerns about a prolonged U.S. government shutdown and the lack of major economic data. Wall Street’s strong performance, coupled with renewed participation from Chinese investors, has provided ample liquidity for equities, said Capital.com analyst Kyle Rodda. "I think the AI rally never went away – at best, it took a breath. The trend remains very strong." In Taipei, the benchmark climbed as much as 1.5%, marking its fourth record high in five sessions on the AI surge. Indonesia and Malaysia rose 0.4% and 0.1%, respectively, while Singapore’s index eased slightly. Thailand’s benchmark jumped 0.9% to its highest level since February after the Bank of Thailand kept rates on hold on Wednesday, but signaled potential easing if growth slows further. The baht fell to its lowest since late August. "While the Bank of Thailand held rates yesterday, it appears to be a dovish hold, with the macro picture still looking benign," said Lloyd Chan, a senior currency analyst with MUFG. "Further BOT policy easing, along with recent increase in fiscal support, have likely lent support for Thai equities." Other currencies in emerging Asia traded in a tight range against a steady U.S. dollar on Thursday. The Singapore dollar and its Taiwanese counterpart nudged lower, while the Indonesian rupiah was flat. HIGHLIGHTS: ** Thailand to start buying bad household debt this month ** Thailand to support technology investments, finance minister says Asia stock indexes and currencies at 0720 GMT Japan -0.18 +2.77 1.77 23.59 China India +0.02 -3.57 0.41 6.36 Indonesi +0.03 -2.78 0.39 15.79 a Malaysia -0.02 +6.00 0.04 -0.86 Philippi -0.43 -0.19 -0.68 -7.22 nes S.Korea -0.28 +4.64 47.92 — — Singapor -0.03 +5.35 -0.34 17.26 e Taiwan -0.01 +7.34 0.88 18.52 Thailand -0.41 +5.17 0.91 -5.96 (Reporting by Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)

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Oct 9 (Reuters) – Marwyn Acquisition Company III Ltd : * MARWYN ACQCO III LTD – POTENTIAL TRANSACTION AND SUSPENSION OF TRADING * MARWYN ACQUISITION COMPANY III LTD – MAC III IN DISCUSSIONS WITH PALMER STREET LIMITED * MARWYN ACQUISITION COMPANY III LTD – SHARES SUSPENDED PENDING DISCUSSIONS OR DEAL * MARWYN ACQUISITION COMPANY III LTD – MAC III ENTERS NON-BINDING TERMS FOR 100% ACQUISITION OF PALMER Source text: Further company coverage:

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(Adds details from paragraph 4) FRANKFURT, Oct 9 – German prosthetics firm Ottobock debuted on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on Thursday, starting trading at 72 euros ($83.61) per share, well above the previous offer price, in the country's largest initial public offering in over a year. The world's leading manufacturer of artificial limbs said earlier this week it would raise about 808 million euros through the IPO, pricing its shares at the upper end of the previously announced price range of 62-66 euros. The offering valued the company at 4.2 billion euros. Ottobock will receive 100 million euros from the offering, with the remaining proceeds going to the founding Naeder family, which will retain more than 80% of the shares, according to the prospectus. The IPO comes amid a rash of new listings across Europe in recent weeks, which have buoyed dealmakers after a dearth of activity over the past two years. Since September, Swiss Marketplace Group debuted in Zurich, Verisure floated in Stockholm with a 13.7 billion euros valuation, and the London Stock Exchange hosted listings for U.S. energy firm Fermi and Beauty Tech Group. Ottobock's listing marks the company's second attempt to go public, after shelving its first effort in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The offering is Germany's largest since retailer Douglas went public in March last year. Hamburg-based billionaire Klaus Michael Kuehne and a fund managed by U.S. asset manager Capital Group acted as cornerstone investors on the deal. ($1 = 0.8611 euros) (Reporting by Charlie Conchie, editing by Kirsti Knolle and Ludwig Burger)

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Oct 9 (Reuters) – Shares in Gerresheimer fell 11% on Thursday, a day after the German packaging and medical equipment maker cut its 2025 guidance for the third time this year. Its shares were trading at 33.2 euros ($38.58) at 0710 GMT and at the bottom of the German midcap index. The profit warning comes amid slowing demand for personal care and beauty products that has weighed on consumer goods companies. Gerresheimer, which makes rounded jars for creams and roll-on bottles for deodorants, expects organic revenues to decline between 2-4% year-on-year, after previously expecting between 0-2% growth. Its shares have lost almost half of their value since January, also taking a knock from an investigation started by Germany's financial regulator which alleged accounting rule violations. ($1 = 0.8607 euros) (Reporting by Paolo Laudani in Gdansk, Editing by Matthias Williams)

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